Feeding My Passion

I’d already gotten my daily photo assignment in the can (the senior exercise class), but I didn’t think I was going to get another day this beautiful for a while, so I checked to see if there was any new construction going on in the new subdivisions in Merced. Score!

This puts me one ahead for my daily photo assignment, but I only count multiple assignments in one day to catch up, not to get ahead. It feels very nice to 1) not be behind, and 2) actually looking for photos when I don’t have to make any.

Since the beginning of the recession, Merced has been one of the hardest-hit areas in country, with unemployment over 10% since April 2007. It’s estimated to currently be at 22%. Before the recession, there was a lot of construction on the north side of town since the University of California just built its newest campus (and the first research institution of the 21st century in the US) on the north side of Merced.

Plumber Alan Callahan (in the top set of photos), who started working on the Bellevue Ranch subdivision four years ago, had to stop two years ago. He and Victor Vasquez (bottom set) just started working on the home recently.